An all-time record 3.6 million tourists visited Israel in 2017, 25% more than in 2016. The Ministry of Tourism believes that incoming tourism contributed NIS 20 billion to the Israeli economy. The country from which the largest number of tourists to Israel come is the US – over 700,000 tourists, 21% more than in 2016. Russia was in second place with 307,000 tourists, a 26% increase. The increase in tourism from Russia is attributable to the growth in routes and flights from Russia to Israel, some of which are run by low-cost airlines, and the exclusion of Turkey from the Russian tourist map in recent years. READ MORE